1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing lures, and more particularly to a jig having a hook molded or inserted thereinto, and a jig head with a simple standing-up supporting means for maintaining the jig along with the hook standing-up in the water after being cast into the water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The jig fishing lure is well known, as it approximates the size and shape of a bait that would be the primary food source for the type of fish meant to be caught. A jig usually consists of a lead sinker head with a hook molded or inserted into it, and a lure inserted onto the shank of the hook. The jig is very versatile and can be used in both salt water as well as fresh water. The head of a jig can consist of many different shapes and colors along with different features as shown in FIG. 1. The most common is the round head, but others include fish head shaped, coned shaped, or the like. These heads come in many different weights usually ranging from 1/64th of an ounce to over 1 ounce. The hooks also vary in hook types, colors, angles of the hook, materials. Some jig heads offer a weed guard. There is a wide array of bodies for jigs. The most common ones is made out of rubber or silicone in many shapes, for example, resembling a grub, a frog, a fish, a paddle tail, a lizard, or a bug. The colors of the bodies can range from bright yellow to a transparent brown with silver and red flakes. As a rule, light colors are a good choice for bright sunny days. Dark colors are best for overcast days or at night. Alternatively, the body can be a combination of feathers, fur, rubber skirts, and other materials. FIG. 2 shows how a lure is applied to a conventional jig.
Many species are attracted to the lure which has made it popular amongst anglers for years. Jig fishing is essentially fishing at or near the bottom of a body of water using a technique that involves a jiggling or dragging retrieval of the lure. Conventional jigs, or jig heads, comprise a lead weight molded onto the shank of a fishhook and painted or dressed to resemble bait in order to attract fish.
A problem of the convention jigs as shown in FIG. 1 is that they land at the bottom of the water flat so that fish is not interested. The so-called “standup” jigs (FIG. 1F) or “tipup” jigs (FIG. 1G) only stand up when stand on a flat surface before the lure is applied and being cast into water. Once they are cast into water, they land flat the in the water nine out of ten times, rather than standing up. Even if it stands up under all the required conditions such as landing on a smooth surface (rather than a rock), absence of strong current, etc, it only stands up for a few seconds. Several jigs have been developed to make the jig and the lure standing up in the water to look like a crawfish in a defensive posture thereby enticing the fish to attack the lure. Optionally, the jigs come with a weed guard (FIGS. 1H-I) arranged on the jib head and extending towards and against the hook to protect toe hook from weeds. However, the weed guards can't not prevent the jigs form landing flat in the bottom of water.
Evolution Jig™ is offered by Megastrike, Inc. (Freehold, N.J.) on-line with pending patent applications. The jigs fall horizontally into the water and land flat in a horizontal position on the skid plate, and then counter-balanced by the weight of the tin head (100% lead free) to pivot to a stand-up (generally vertical). The jigs are available in two styles: Heavy Cover Jigs in sizes: ⅜, ½, and ¾ oz and Finesse Jigs in sizes 3/16, 5/16, and 7/16 oz. The smaller finesse type of jigs are much more effective in clear water, while the heavier, bulky versions are great for fishing stained to muddy water. The jigs are in different colors: rusty craw, midnight craw, green pumpkin, bayou craw, cinnamon, fall craw red glitter, Halloween, black blue purple, white, peanut butter & jelly, and black and blue. The flaring disc and the skid plate allow the lure to stand up looking like a crawfish in a defensive posture which entices fish to attack the lure. The rotation plate of the Evolution Jig™ merely rotates the jig to a vertical position then the jig falls right back down flat, such that the jig does not remains standing up in the water long enough before a fish sees it.
A Norman Combine™ crank bait is offered by Win Leisure Products (Greenwood, Ark.) The crank bait is a sinking lure to be fished like a jig that swims off of the bottom. The heavier the crank bait the deeper it will dive on the retrieve. A Ballast Weight hangs below the body in the shape of a fin can be moved forward and back to create wide to tight actions. A forward movement of the ballast weight will produce a wide action. Moving the weight back toward the hook will produce a tight action. The more weight you add to the hook the more the ballast weight may need to be moved forward to create action. Various Skirts, rattles and soft plastics can be used on the crank bait. The crank bait is designed to swing in the water then being retrieved without reaching the bottom of the body of water. Even if it accidentally touches the bottom, it bounces right back up from the bottom. For open water retrieval.
However, these jigs have complex designs with many parts of different materials thus cost money to produce. There is a need for a simply and cost effective design.